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Extra patrols on St. Patrick's Day resulted in five arrests

Mar 21, 2012 - By Christina George, Staff Writer

A countywide St. Patrick's Day "saturation patrol" by law enforcement yielded five drunk-driving arrests.

Fremont County Sheriff's Capt. Ryan Lee said the Lander Police Department handled all of the DUI arrests made on the holiday.

The extra patrol transpired between 5 p.m. Saturday, March 17, and 5 a.m. Sunday, March 18.

"Other areas of the county also were part of the campaign. However, law enforcement officers with the Sheriff's Office, (Wyoming) Highway Patrol, Riverton Police (Department) and Shoshoni Police (Department) did not observe any impaired drivers during the time frame," Lee said.

David J. Long, 34, of Riverton, was arrested at 9:49 p.m. Saturday in the 200 block of Buena Vista Drive in Lander. The arrest of Leif Polson, 33, of Lander, followed at 10:22 p.m. in the Bellevue and Chase Drive area.

According to police reports, Johnna Vinich, 21, of Lander, was arrested at 11:55 p.m. in the 400 block of Jefferson Street. She also was arrested for a Fremont County warrant.

Police chief Jim Carey said blood-alcohol concentration levels for the three were not available and were pending blood analysis.

Lander police arrested Ethan Nevarez, 21, of Riverton, at 12:59 a.m. Sunday at Dillon Park. Carey said his BAC was .13 percent, which is above the state's legal limit of .08 percent for operating a vehicle.

At 2:35 a.m., officers arrested Buckley Denevan, 43, of Lander, in the 400 block of Main Street. Carey said Denevan's BAC was at .18 percent. Denevan also was cited for an open container violation.

"The police department placed extra officers on the streets St. Patrick's Day for the safety of those who drive the streets," Carey said.

He said the number of arrests was not unusual.

"But it is a big concern," he said.

This is the third DUI saturation patrol in Fremont County since law enforcement agencies initiated the first in December.

The saturation patrol is part of the Wind River Project, which uses a grant through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to publicize the extra patrol in an effort to deter people from driving impaired.